Folding chair



J. c. MCGUIRE June 3, 1958 FOLDING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3,1957 INVENTOR. JOHN C. M GU/RE FIG. 4

ATTORNEY J. C. M GUIRE FOLDING CHAIR June 3, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filedon, 5, 1957 INVENTOR. JOHN C. M-GUIRE A T TOP/VEV United States PatentFOLDING CHAIR John C. McGuire, san Francisco, Calif.

Application October 3, 1957, Serial No. 687,883

4 Claims. (Cl. 155-440) This invention relates to a folding chair andparticulady to chairs which have crossbrace members in the form of an X.

Folding chairs of the type herein disclosed and described do not lendthemselves readily to beauty of design for reasons of sheer mechanicalnecessity. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a folding chair which permits a greater degree of freedom ofartistic and pleasing design than has heretofore been possible.

It is a well-known fact that in folding furniture of the prior art wherethe side seat supports have pins which guide up and down, and arecontained within grooves, the width of the seat and the height of thearms are restricted to the mathematical relationship necessarilyinvolved. The result has been that the arms are too high and the seattoo narrow for real comfort. Accordingly, it' is an object of thepresent invention to provide a choice of dimension and design in foldingfurniture where-- in the width of the seat is not restricted in anymanner and where the height of the arms may be lowered in accordancewiththe demands of comfort, without regard to mathematical necessity.

Metal as a material has lent itself particularly to folding furniture ofall typjes, but any sort of folding wooden furniture has not heretoforebeen practical unless metal hinges, brackets and other importantstructural members were combined. Accordingly, it is an object of thepresent invention to provide afolding Wooden chair which is light inweight and structurally sound, and which does not depend upon metalhinges, brackets or the like.

It is also an object to'provi'de a folding chair which is light inweight and yet has the warmth, quality, and dignity of wood.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a foldingchair which cannot be collapsed, except intentionally, and then only asan act of the actual folding.

It is a furtherobject to provide a folding chair where the seatsupportat the sides of the chair is supported by pins in short grooves so thatthe weight carried by the seat is directed downwardly and vertically ateach leg member. Thus, since the forces are straight downwardly, thechair is stable with no wobble, twist or torque even though it is afolding chair.

Another object is to provide a folding chair" where the )t structure isnot required for support but is used for stability and foldability.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity,economy, and ease of manufacture, also such further objects, advantagesand capabilities as will fully appear and as are inherently possessed bythe device and the invention described herein.

Invention further resides in the combination, construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and whilethere is shown therein a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to beunderstood thatthe same is merely illustrative of the invention and thatthe invention is capable of modification and change, and comprehendsother details of construction without departing, from the spirit thereofor the scope of the appended. claims. 7

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a front perspective view showing the folding chair of thepresent invention in open operable position. I

Figure 2 shows the chair in almost completely collapsed position.

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the movement of the crossbracemembers, particularly with respect to the back leg members in thefolding or collapsing operation.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in Figure l.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view taken on the line VV ofFigure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of the rotary bracemember and spreader taken on the line VIVI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a vertical section in fragment taken on the line VII-VII ofFigure l and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencenumerals indicate like parts in the.

several views, the folding chair shown comprises a pair of front legs 11and 12 which become the front supports for the arms 16 and 17. The backleg members 20 and 21 are joined with the arms 16 and 17 in any suitablemanner to form the usual arm rest supports. It will be observed. thatthe structure here does not limit or restrict the height or position ofthe arms as is usual in other structures involving folding chairs,aswill be explained later herein. At either side of the chair, the frontand rear leg supports 11 and 20, and 12 and 21, respectively, are joinedby the side bars 22 and 23 so that each of the sides is an integralunit. Adjacent the floor level the front and rear legs are joined bySpreaders 24 and 25 for further structural soundness of each side. Theseat 26 of the chair is a sheet of flexible material. which may be afabric either natural or synthetic. At the two sides, the seat material26 passes around free wooden members 27, one at each. side, and mayeither be secured. thereto or sewn back again on itself as shown at 28(see Figure 5). The wooden members 27 are secured to the upper ends ofthe cross pieces, one at the upper ends of pieces 30 and 32, and theother at the upper ends of pieces 31 and 33.

The stability of the chair is accomplished by the four transversecrossed pieces, 30 and'31 being in. the front and 32 and 33 being at therear. The cross supports are pivoted at the middle by pivots 34 and 35,.respectively. The cross members at their bottom ends are secured tospacer members 37 and 38, which spacer members are grooves 46 and 47 inthe leg back supports'20 and 21 and in corresponding grooves 48'and 49which are on the inner face of the front leg supports 11 and 12. Thegrooves, exemplified by grooves 46 and 47, extend vertically upward onlya short distance above the seat level and then curve or angle inwardlyand upwardly and exit at the inner edges of the leg members. length ofthe grooves, the leg supports are not structurally weakened, especiallyat the back. With particular reference to Figures 1 and 5, it will beseen that when the chair is in the open functional position that thedowel pins- 45 of the upper movable spreaders or free members Because ofthe short 27 are engaged in grooves 46 to 49, inclusive, and rest in thebottom thereof, which corresponds with the seat level. When in thisposition any weight applied to the seat 26 is supported entirely by thepins 45 resting in the bottom of the grooves 46 to 45% In this mannerthe weight carried by or applied to the seat 26 is directed verticallydownward at each leg member, making the chair unexpectedly secure, withno wobble, twist or torque. Without a person in the chair, the weight ofthe parts, even though designed for lightness of weight, is sufiicientto retain the pins 45 in slots 46 to 49, inclusive, and no inadvertencccan cause the removal thereof.

This open, operative position corresponds with the full reach of thematerial 26 which forms the seat for the chair. Because the pins 27 arereleased from the confinement of the grooves 46 to 49 at a shortdistance above the seat level, the width of the seat can be any desireddimension, and is not involved or restricted to mathematicalproportions. This result alone makes it possible for the designer tohave a choice both with respect to the dimension and form of the foldingchair, and permits the lowering of the arm rests 16 and 17 to anyposition or shape desired, without in anyway detracting from itsfoldability.

To form a comfortable back support, a web of sheet material 50 isprepared so that it has loops 51 at either end which are adapted toslide over the upper exposed ends of the leg back supports 20 and 21.The material making up the web 50 may, of course, be identical with thatused for the seat 26.

Referring nowmore particularly to Figure 3, in folding or collapsing'the chair for storage or any other purpose, the seat 26 is pulledupwardly at the center which causes the members 27 at either side toride upwardly in their respective grooves 46-48 and 4749. This causesthe cross members 30 to 33, inclusive, to move toward each other,pivoting on pivots 34 and 35 to bring the sides together to the closedposition. The pins 45 ride vertically upward in the slots 46 to 49,inclusive, until the pins engage the inwardly directed upwardly curvedchannel of the slots. For ease of manufacture the curved portion may bemade angular, which approximates the arc of the pins 27 when rotatedabout pivots 34 and 35 at the point of entrance to the grooves. The pinsfollow this curved channel and are freed or released at the outer.

terminus of the slots, in which position the chair may then be collapsedand folded in the manner indicated in Figure 2.

To re-establish the chair to the operative position, the sides thereofare moved apart, toward the open position and when so moved anappropriate distance, the spreader members 27 are rotated on theirpivots 34 and ,35 so that the pins 45 are brought into position at theentrance of their respective grooves 46-48 and 47-49.

X members 30 and 31 and 32 and 33 to open until the pins 45 rest in thebottoms of their respective slots or grooves.

I claim:

l. A folding chair of the class described comprising in combination twoside units each comprising a front leg,

a back legand connecting members, spaced X-shaped' members pivoted attheir respective cross points, a rotatable connecting member adjacentthe bottom of each of said side units and'secured to the lower ends ofsaid X-shaped members, a free connecting member secured to the upperends of said X-shaped members at each side, said free-connecting membershaving a web of material secured therebetween to form the seat of saidchair, and each of said free members having pins extending beyond theends thereof, substantially vertical grooves in the opposed faces ofsaid front and back legs of each side unit which are curved to enter atthe inside a short distance'above the seat level and terminating at theappropriate seat level, for removablygreceiving theend. pinsof Thespreader members 27 then drop into position causing the 4 said freeconnecting members, and a web of material between the upper portion ofsaid back legs to form the back of said chair.

2. A folding chair of the class described comprising in combination twoside units each comprising a front leg, a back leg and rigid connectingmembers, transverse spaced X-shaped members pivoted at their respectivecrosspoints, a rotatable connecting member adjacent the bottom of eachof said side units and secured to the lower ends of said X-shapedmembers, a free-connecting member secured to the upper ends of saidX-shaped members at each side, said free-connecting members having a webof material secured therebetween to form the seat of said chair, andeach of said free members having dowels extending beyond the endsthereof, grooves in the opposed faces of said front and back legs ofeach side unit entering in a downward curve a short distance above theseat level and continuing vertically downward, terminating at theappropriate seat level, for removably receiving the end dowels of saidfree connecting members, and a web of material between the upper portionof said back legs to form the back of said chair.

3. A folding chair unrestricted by mathematical dimensions andproportions comprising in combination two companion side units eachincluding a front leg, a back leg and rigid connecting members one ofwhich forms the arm support, transverse spaced X-shaped members pivotedat their crosspoints, a fixed rotatable connecting member adjacent thebottom of each side unit and secured to the lower ends of said X-shapedmembers at either side, free connecting members secured to the upperends of said X-shaped members at either side, said free connectingmembers having a web of flexible material therebetween forming the seatof the chair in the operable position, and each of said free membershaving dowels extending beyond the ends thereof as support pins,vertical grooves in the opposed faces of the front and back legs of eachof said side units, entering at the inner edge thereof in the form of adownwardly directed curve a short distance above the seat level andterminating at the seat level, said grooves removably receiving andretaining saidsupport pins to support any weight carried by the seatvertically downward at each of the four legs, and a web of flexiblematerial stretched between the upper portions of said back legs to formthe back for said chair.

'4. A folding chair unrestricted by mathematical dimensions andproportions comprising in combination two companion side units eachincluding a front leg, a back leg and rigid connecting members one ofwhich forms the arm support, transverse spaced X-shaped members pivotedat their cross points, a fixed rotatable connecting member adjacent thebottom cof each side unit and secured to the lower ends of said X-shapedmembers at either side, free.

connecting members secured to the upper ends of said X-shaped members ateither side, said free connecting members having a strip of foldablematerial therebetween formingthe seat of the chair in the operableposition, and eachof said free membershaving dowels extending beyond theends thereof as support pins, vertical grooves in the opposed faces ofthe front andback legs of each of said side units, entering a shortdistance above the 'seat level from the inner edge of said leg membersin a downwardly angled groove and terminating at the seat level, saidgrooves removably receiving and retaining said support pins to supportany weight carried by the seat vertically downward at each of the fourlegs, and a corresponding strip of foldable material stretched betweenthe upper portions of said back legs to form the back for said chair.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

